Never Too Late
by LexieWolf
Summary: Toboe's daughter lives on earth with no knowledge of Paradise. When the two meet again, will Raia be sucked into the quest for the lunar flower too? I don't own Wolf's Rain, but Raia and Asera are mine. Rated T just incase. First fanfiction ever, so please R&R. Still in-progress, but wanted to get the first chapter out.
1. First Seen

I look up and down the road, my hood up. Humans walk in assorted ways, oblivious to anyone but themselves. The wind blows my brown hair in my face. They say my father, Toboe, found paradise. This doesn't seem like paradise to me, not since my mom died anyway. It's been four years since she left me. My feet sound loud in the alleyways, grey skies blocking the sunlight. I stop at the edge of town, thinking. A familiar scent drifts towards me, a wonderful smell.

_A dark brown wolf stalks behind a white fence in the dead of night. Slabs of meat hang on ropes by the little brown shed. Lights in the big house have been out for hours. The wolf eyes the meat hungrily, then looks to the woods, where small green eyes stare at her every move intensely. Slowly she slinks to the dangling meat, makes one last cautious look-around, then lunges. The meat slips easily off the rope, but bells ring out loudly in the nighttime silence. Lights flicker in the house. The she-wolf wastes no time and runs to the eyes and the cover of the forest. The door to the big house opens with a bang, and a man with a gun aims and shoots from within. The she-wolf stumbles, but keeps running, blood running down her neck. _

_She collapses next to the pup. The she-pup whimpers, smelling the blood of her mother. The she-wolf manages to get up and herd the pup to a field of flowers in the forest before collapsing for the last time. The pup whines, eating the meat obediently. A beautiful mid-toned howl wavers through the mist, then momentarily followed by a reddish brown wolf. The she-wolf whispers, "Toboe…" Toboe frowns, "Don't speak, Asera. Is Raia ok?" the she-pup whimpers, "Mommy, please get up." Toboe paws a lunar flower gently, "Raia, its ok my girl." Asera looks up at Toboe, "…Will she be ok on her own? She's too young…" Toboe licks her, "I'll look after her. But I need to take care of you." He howls down to the flower, and a portal opens, "Paradise is waiting for you. I'll be there soon." Toboe helps Asera get up and pushes her through the portal. The young pup tries to follow. Toboe picks her up and takes her back to the den. He smiles at the pup, "Don't be afraid, Raia. I'll be watching for you." He shows her young human form. "You'll do just fine." He disappears, leaving young Raia alone. _


	2. The Unknown

Determined to find the scent, I head out into the dark. Nothingness swirls around me, the only sound being my paws hitting the ground. As I walk, the temperature lowers, dew forming to beads of ice. Snow falls lazily from above, melting on the ground. The scent leads me across the barren lands, past little villages and towns. By dawn, I reach a lake, hungry and cold. I try to rid the scent I'm following so I could find something to eat, but there isn't anything out here. Stomach growling, I curl up at the edge of the frosted lake and try to get some sleep.

Somewhere, hours later, I wake to birds chirping. Though none of them are on the ground. The scent is stronger now though. I yawn, stretch, and get up. Yet again I find myself following this familiar smell, but right over the lightly frozen lake. Loud cracks pop my ears as I lose my balance and tumble into freezing cold water. The water chills me right down to the bone. I try to swim back to the icy surface, but the water drains my energy. I lose my breath, sinking, drowning. I think, "this is it."

_Now a few years old, little Raia chews on a stick next to a lake. Playfully she throws it into the water and she races to go get it. A ghostly paw stops her at the edge of the water. "Now Raia, you're to young to be playing in the water. You could get hurt." Raia saddens._

_"But Daddy, my stick! its over there!"_

_"You stay here and I'll go get it."_

_Toboe swims across the lake and fetches her stick. Behind his back, Raia jumps into the water. He spins around and races over to Raia, who went a little to far and can't keep her head above the water. Toboe drops the stick and picks up the waterlogged pup, putting her on the bank, "What did I say?"_

_Raia ashamedly looked up at her ghostly father and coughed out some water. Toboe's gaze softens and licks her head. "Stay safe okay? One day I might be able to save you."_


End file.
